Rheinmetall inks deal with Poland's biggest arms firm for support vehicles

By Mucahithan Avcioglu

ISTANBUL (AA) - Germany's largest defense firm Rheinmetall on Monday announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Polish state-owned defense group Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa SA (PGZ) on strategic cooperation in the field of military support vehicles.

The deal includes production of armored recovery vehicles, mine-clearing vehicles, and armored vehicle-launched bridges. As part of the agreement, the companies will establish a joint venture company.

"Rheinmetall already has a strong and significant presence in Poland through Rheinmetall Polska Sp.z o.o.," the German defense firm said in a statement.

"Rheinmetall is one of the world's leading suppliers of armored tracked and wheeled vehicles and, among other things, the original designer of the Keiler NG armored breaching vehicle. In addition, Rheinmetall has extensive expertise and experience in areas such as the design, manufacture and maintenance of armored vehicles," it said.

Rheinmetall stated that "in view to current threat from the East," PGZ and Rheinmetall contribute to building an all-European defense potential by signing this deal. "It is another step towards making Europe’s defense more secure and stronger."

This cooperation agreement is notably the German company's first strategic partnership with a Polish defense company.

"By signing the MoU, we not only open the door towards an extension of Poland’s heavy vehicles manufacturing capability but also contribute to building an all-European defense potential, new multi-nation partnerships, capabilities redundance – so important in view to current threat from the East – and multinational supply chains. It is another step towards making Europe more secure and stronger," said Bjorn Bernhard, Rheinmetall's managing director of Vehicle Systems Europe division.

PGZ CEO Adam Leszkiewicz, for his part, said: "The agreement will open the way expand our collaboration to include additional solutions, including those we can jointly offer to external markets."